Farm to Fork: The Whole Food Choice

Changing our habits

For the most part, we shop at nearby chains for deals and purchase prominently packaged products. While affordability and convenience are legitimate concerns, are we getting access to the best quality ingredients? Even more questions are raised when investigating where and how food is grown. Challenge yourself to seek alternatives and serve your family the kind of food you know the story behind.

Let’s eat local!

Local is the new buzzword among health and fitness enthusiasts. Most people think of local to mean farm grown whole food. Whole food is food processed or refined as little as possible and free of additives. We live in a culture so removed from actually growing plants; everything is manufactured, that it’s hard to remember the value of nature.

Benefits of whole food

When you eat whole food, you’re getting fuel that has maximum nutrition. For example, an apple compared to apple juice contains more vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. While whole food might be associated with the upscale grocery store of the same name, it is affordable and accessible to all of us from an assortment of vendors.

Where? Where? Where?

The San Joaquin County alone is one of the top five producers in California of apples, asparagus, cherries, corn, pumpkins, walnuts, apricots, dry beans, blueberries, chickens, cucumbers, wine grapes, watermelon, potatoes, and tomatoes. Regardless of where you live, there are dozens of local farms, fruit stands, and small markets all within a short driving distance. Some may even offer organic and GMO free produce. The following is a list of In-Shape’s must visit locations:

What’s for dinner?

Fall is coming and harvest time is among us. It’s the season for endless options in squash like Butternut, Kabocha and Delicata. Feel free to incorporate any of these into this simple and savory recipe. Peel and slice squash. Dip in olive oil and place in a baking dish. Sprinkle rosemary, salt and pepper to taste. Bake at 400F for roughly 30 minutes until squash becomes golden brown.